Enhancing ease and efficiency in purchasing home or office items, driving increased sales and revenue growth.
Let's set the scene...
Film & Furniture, based in the UK, began as a blog. It quickly developed into an online curated shopping experience. They sell hard-to-find items from movies and television. Detailed product information and the VR feature significantly boosted user confidence and engagement rates.
The updates were executed collaboratively by an engineer, a developer, and a graphic designer.
I would like to...
Based on a comprehensive analysis, user research, and market data, stakeholders aligned on prioritizing product information and reviews. Worked with stakeholders to keep the scope focused while addressing the business needs and pain points. Usability testing with target users validated the critical need for virtual reality (VR) product visualization.
Business needs & persona
“There are no dimensions, but after looking at the table in a room on the site, I’m guessing it will fit in my living room.”
The shopping experience declined significantly, with conversion rates falling below benchmarks. Poor site navigation, lack of essential product information, and customer reviews further compromised the user experience, directly impacting sales potential.
Market research identified a target persona: the cinematic decorator - design enthusiasts who draw inspiration from film and TV. They prioritize the need to evaluate how furniture pieces will integrate into their existing spaces.
After evaluating, the results are in...
“Only because I just started, can I tell that I’m on the first page, but it's not visible.”
Usability testing revealed barriers to completing a purchase. Users frequently lost context while browsing, leading to site abandonment and missed sales opportunities. Adding detailed product info directly addressed a major conversion bottleneck. Two key issues significantly impacted user confidence and purchase intent:
• The absence of clear navigation-preventing users from efficiently browsing, resulting in frustrated customers and incomplete shopping experiences (1)
• Limited product information, leaving users without crucial information needed to make purchase decisions, directly affecting conversion rates (2)
That Cinematic Decorator
“I search for measurements to confirm it will fit in my place. I also look at reviews, with pictures.”
Poor content organization created significant friction in the customer journey. The cinematic decorator struggled to navigate through dense, complicated product discovery, causing users to abandon their search.
Let me take you on a journey
Customer research revealed revenue loss due to inadequate product presentation. The users abandoned their purchase journey due to two critical gaps: insufficient product specifications and a lack of visualization. The navigation experience turned what should have been an aspirational shopping journey into a pain point. The absence of customer reviews undermined purchase confidence. These issues directly impacted conversion rates.
Competitive
Zara Home exemplifies effective design through the information displayed. The dual-panel approach balances immediate price visibility with detailed product specifications, enabling informed purchase decisions.
Comparative
Both Allbirds and IKEA leverage VR technology to drive purchase confidence - IKEA through virtual furniture placement, and Allbirds through virtual shoe try-ons. Both solutions address uncertainty, a key barrier to online purchases.
What seems to be the problem?
“I wanted to see measurements and product info, but I can’t find it!!”
The cinematic decorator;
• Prefers streamlined navigation with intuitive category organization to quickly locate desired film-inspired pieces
• Values clean, minimalist content presentation that prioritizes visual information over lengthy text descriptions
• Requires VR visualization capabilities to validate how furniture pieces will integrate with their existing decor before committing to purchase
The hypothesis is telling me...
Proposed updates;
These enhancements target key conversion barriers in the customer journey:
• Addressing a critical barrier that impacts abandoned purchases, by implementing customer reviews and detailed product specifications
• Enabling customers to preview furniture placement in their spaces with the integration of VR technology, a feature proven to increase purchase confidence
How's the foundation architecture?
“It’s a little hard to see what I’m shopping for because of how it's organized.”
The site architecture testing revealed critical navigation issues: redundant category structures and unclear user pathways led to disorientation during product discovery. Duplicate categorization hindered users' ability to maintain context.
Let's give it an update
Streamlining the information architecture significantly improved key business metrics. Consolidating product categories and simplifying the users' navigation led to measurable gains in customer engagement. This reduced cart abandonment rates and accelerated the path to purchase, directly contributing to improved conversion rates and higher order completion.
Work out your thoughts, pen to paper
The navigation strategy directly impacted revenue performance. By creating an intuitive shopping flow by mapping and resolving critical pain points, users experience a more seamless journey experience.
The user's enhancement provided clear visibility into conversion barriers and necessary refinements, resulting in accelerated purchase completion rates. Each iteration was driven by ensuring improvements directly addressed friction points.
Low-level wireframes
Iterate before committing to wireframes
Early-stage discovery and wireframe validation proved crucial for efficient development. By identifying necessary iterations during the low-fidelity phase, I avoided costly revisions later in the design process. This proactive approach to refinement significantly reduced development time and resource investment compared to making changes in high-fidelity stages
Second iteration of low-level wireframes
"A" better than "B"?
“The white color at the bottom looks like an afterthought.”
Navigation transparency optimization:
• Users found the bottom bar provided consistent orientation without compromising the site's visual design (1)
Image hierarchy refinement improved usability:
• Reducing thumbnail sizes created a clearer visual hierarchy, eliminating competition between elements and allowing users to focus on primary content without distraction (2)
"Let's work through the iterations and how they tested"?
(1)
(2)
(3)
"The Lonestar"
• Despite improved load times, excessive text content remained a barrier to user engagement - failing to address the core content hierarchy issue (1)
"The picture show"
• Heavy use of images violated minimalist design principles, resulting in slow performance and unclear content prioritization which confused users (2)
"The featured attraction"
• Refining the visual hierarchy transformed the user experience, enabling them to navigate content effortlessly and identify desired items more efficiently
• Product cards boosted search effectiveness and content discovery, leading to improved engagement metrics and more successful product search
• Micro-interactions provided instant user feedback, creating a positive response and confidence-building shopping experience (3)
Mid-level wireframes
Certain features tested horribly;
Usability testing revealed critical conversion barriers in the user interface. Multiple competing interactive elements diminished purchase clarity, while redundant CTAs created decision paralysis. Streamlining action points and reducing interface noise, created a more focused path to purchase which improved user confidence and reduced abandonment rates.
I get the picture now
“There are still too many steps to complete this task, I feel there is a need for simplification.”
Rigorous usability testing revealed critical navigation barriers in the prototype. User testing showed task completion challenges, validating the need to simplify the interface. Task completion rates improved and reduced user friction points by eliminating redundant screens and streamlining user flows.
The prototype, along with the MVP
Market research and user testing identified two critical MVP features driving purchase decisions for cinematic decorators:
• The implementation of customer reviews addresses a key conversion barrier
• Comprehensive product specifications enable confident purchasing by delivering essential decision-making information
The MVP implementation balanced brand aesthetics with functional requirements. The integration of new features maintained the premium visual identity while addressing core user needs. Final usability validation focused on optimizing information architecture - specifically the immediate content visibility - to ensure user engagement.
Next steps
Limited client availability drove autonomous decision-making, prioritizing user data over personal design preferences. The final solution delivered three revenue-driving features while validating the user needs:
• Customer reviews, enhancing purchase confidence
• Comprehensive product details, reducing purchase uncertainty
• AR capability enabling purchase confidence, while decreasing return rates
These data-driven enhancements targeted key conversion barriers, showing a 40-60% improvement.
Let's reflect for a moment
This project required balancing my personal design preferences with client needs. Given the client's location in Europe and limited communication, I took the initiative to move the project forward.
Key integrated features include:
• Customer reviews with images
• Specification page with measurements & product details
• "View in Your Space" AR feature for items in the home/office
These decisions were crucial for enhancing user experience, increasing trust, and driving conversion rates.
